Cinder Sky
by Talon Blade1
Summary: This chapter is dedicated to The Last Ride In and everybody else. Thanks to every one for givin me guts to continue.R/R
1. Ch1

The only things I own are the ones I made up

Rain beat heavily against the trees of Mossflower. Bryony had been lost for three days now and the woods she was in now where not the warm friendly ones she knew so well. These where cold and dangerous. Every so often she would hear a scream of a murder and prayed she wasn't next. 

It was the fourth night when her worst fears happened. She awakened to see the face of a rat staring at her, one of his ears missing. "Well well, what do we have hear bucko's? A pretty little mouse maid gone astray."

Bryony looked around to see five other beasts standing around licking blades and chuckling.

"Wha, What do you want vermin?"

"Ouch, that stung. What do we want with ya, well first were gonna have a little fun then...." He made a cutthroats signal.

Picking up a rock she slammed it hard onto his foot paw causing him to yelp. He picked her up saying " Now you'll pay for that," A barbed arrow flew threw the air, piercing his paw straight threw. A weasel in a cloak walked up a bow held out front with an arrow strained against it. "That shaft was poisoned, you'll be dead by morning. Leave the maid with me. These are the orders of Silverfan." With a nod two stoats baring heavy axes ushered them away.

"This is the bait his Lordship wants, Blanks?" asked one of the stoats.

"Yes Case, he says the mouse will come save her." said the weasel. "Maxine tie her up and guard her." The other stoat pulled a rope out off his pack and tied her tightly to a tree. The weasel and other stoat left while he watched her.

"So Maxine, why are you doing this, what have I done?"

"Quite frankly, you haven't done a thing, but we need you to catch a deserter. After we get him, we'll probably kill you, or take you as a slave with him."

Bryony groaned at this. Quite suddenly a paw shot across her mouth fallowed by a whisper. Tell him to look by that stump. After that I'll free you."

Rather than arguing she did what she was told. After he came back he put on a leather glove saying. "Lying to me eh. Well I won't kill you yet, just beat ya!" He raised his paw about to backpaw her, then stopped.

Two paws shot across his head and snapped his neck before Maxine could yell for help. So this was her hero. He was a mouse with pale amber eyes and a scar running along his cheek. His fur was a dark brown, almost black. He stared at her. "Well, best be settin you free." With a quick slash off a dagger he set her free.


	2. Ch2

He was Bryony's age and tall for a mouse. A cloak was draped around him, making him almost invisible do to the skillful camouflage . Removing it reviled a black chain-mail tunic. Two straps of throwing daggers crossed at his chest and a full quiver of longbow arrows where across his back with the long bow going the other way. On the side of his legs where two sheaths, one empty because of the strange dagger was is in his paw. A sling was dangling from his belt with a pouch of metal balls. On his neck was a tattoo of The Cross.

"Thank you for rescu-" Bryony tried to say be for he interrupted her. "Shh. We'll make introductions later. Here put this on and fallow me, there's something I must do." Putting the cloak on she fallowed as fast as she could until he held his paw up in a stopping signal. "Wait here."

Blanks and Case were sitting waiting for the, now dead, Maxine's call. No one was more surprised then Case when an arrow buried it's tip deep into his heart. The surprised Blanks removed the letter from the arrow. It read only one word...............run.

Blanks ran as fast as his legs could carry him. 

Bryony was speechless. Two beasts had been slain within one minute of each other. "Are you okay, ma'am?" he asked. Smiling sweetly she answered. "Yes, thank you very much Mr..?" 

"Furyback, Cinder Furyback."

"Thank you Mr. Furyback."

"No, just Cinder. No Mr. Furyback. Just Cinder. I hate that formal stuff. What's your name?"

"Bryony sir, like the flower."

"Pretty name for a pretty maid. Where you from?"

"Redwall Abbey."

Cinder went behind a tree and pulled out a haversack. He grabbed some dry branches and started a small fire. "Hungry?" he asked. She nodded and he told her to fallow him. They stopped at a brook. Removing his chain-mail and shirt reviled scars running along his rock hard stomach with a tattoo on both of his shoulders. Rolling up his pants legs he wadded in. "What are you doing?" "Waiting.. for dinner!" he shouted as both his paws shot underwater. Slowly he pulled them up to revile a fat rainbow trout. "How did you do that?" she said amazed. "Can you show me?"

Cinder stood behind her, his paws on hers. He whispered in her ear. "See it? Good! Wait till it's a little closer, closer, NOW!" Both there paws shot underwater. Bryony giggled as she pulled hers up with a trout caught tight. "Your a natural." he said as he threw it next to the other one. "Thank you." she said sweetly, fluttering her eyelashes. 

That night after they ate Bryony sat next to Cinder asking him many questions. "Are you a warrior? Why were they after you? How.." 

"One question at a time." He interrupted. "I don't know what your description of warrior is but, a fighter yes. As for them, there from my old tribe. It had all sorts of species in it, mice, foxes, moles, ferrets, you get the idea. run by an evil mouse. Real jackass. Apologizes for the cussing. He recruited a bunch a rats and his evil mouse buddies and started a civil war. I lost some good friends in that fight. Well, he won by sure weight of numbers and the old tribe broke up and retreated. Now, I guess, he's hunting us down. Taking prisoners of the weaker ones and killing the ones that still will fight him. He's been after me for a few month's."

She had listened and was amazed. An evil mouse. Huh! She could picture a younger Cinder fighting against the odds. His voice brought her back to reality. "Bryony, I know a pretty good shortcut, I'll get you to your abbey in a day." 

Thanking him, she got a better look at the strange dagger. It was made of some strange stone. Mostly green with red specks on it, like blood. He noticed her looking and explained. "This is bloodstone. In ancient times the seers in my tribe tempered it some how and mixed it with rocks from the sky. It is said they are tempered by the flames of hell, cooled by the winds of a hurricane and washed by tsunamis. Now one really knows. Here take this." He handed her a smaller version of the same dagger. "You may need this soon." The mouse went back behind the tree, grabbed to sleeping bags and handed on to Bryony. "It' safe to sleep here. Word travels fast, half the woods probably know what happened already. Tomorrow we'll leave for the Abbey." The next morning they made it to the gates of the Abbey with out incident.


End file.
